Poll: Majority of Utahns in favor of nondiscrimination laws

A recent poll shows most Utahns would likely favor a statewide law banning discrimination in housing or employment on the basis of sexual preference.

(Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)

SALT LAKE CITY — A recent poll shows most Utahns would likely favor a statewide law banning discrimination in housing or employment on the basis of sexual preference.

The poll, sponsored by Zions Bank and commissioned by UtahPolicy.com, found that 59 percent of Utahns would either strongly favor or somewhat favor "a statewide law banning employment and housing discrimination based on sexual preference."

The results come on the heels of a poll released Monday showing 61 percent of Utahns in opposition to the legalization of same-sex marriage. Dan Jones & Associates conducted the poll of attitudes of likely voters Aug. 12-14. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.

"I don't think that you're going to find a public policy move that's going to please either side because clearly Utahns do not support same-sex marriage," said Bryan Schott, managing editor of UtahPolicy.com. "I mean, it's a 2-to-1 margin. That's pretty overwhelming in our survey. But by the same account, they are warming to more gay rights in supporting a nondiscrimination bill across the state."

While several cities throughout Utah have adopted nondiscrimination legislation, a statewide bill has been filed but not passed in the Utah Legislature for six consecutive years.

The passage of a non-discrimination bill is contingent on the ability of lawmakers and voters to separate same-sex marriage from "simple workplace and housing discrimination," Sen. Steve Urquhart said Tuesday on "The Doug Wright Show." "If I can succeed in doing that, we will pass this."

Urquhart sponsored SB100, a nondiscrimination bill proposed to the Legislature for the past two sessions. It was not heard in the most recent legislative session in the wake of the Amendment 3 ruling.

According to Schott, the results show two things about Utah voters.

"What these numbers tell me is the statewide nondiscrimination is probably a political issue whose time has come in Utah; (and) same-sex marriage is not an issue whose time has come," he said.

Others see matters in a different way.

"Utah, I think, has an opportunity — and maybe unique opportunity — to try and reconcile all those kinds of concerns with fairness on one hand and with protecting family and a family friendly state on the other hand and show that those can be reconciled in a way that's positive," said Bill Duncan, director of the Center for Family and Society at the Sutherland Institute, a conservative public policy think tank. "I think that the poll results suggest that's the way many Utahns think about this issue, and I think that's good."

Support for nondiscrimination bills may abate "as people become aware of some of the potential legal conflicts that could develop between discrimination laws that single out statuses like gender identity or sexual orientation, and employers' and individuals' rights to act on their faith in the public square," Duncan said.

An ideal bill would have a "strong religious exemption" — protecting businesses and individuals from being forced to violate their beliefs — and avoid creating "new categories (of nondiscrimination) that are potentially more troubling, like sexual orientation and gender identity," he said.

The polls are part of an ongoing effort by UtahPolicy.com to measure attitudes regarding politics and public policy in the state, according to Schott, and do not reflect a political motive.

"Our agenda is to get information and disseminate it. That's our agenda. We have no other agenda other than that. We don't have a political bent. We just wanted to find out what the numbers were," he said.

Comments (23)

Once again more government intrusion. How about I choose who I hire and rent my
property to.

2. Laura Bilington

Maple Valley, WA,

Aug. 20, 2014

These poll results are totally useless except to illustrate how people can be
manipulated to say one thing or another.

Read any DN Opinion piece
dealing with gay marriage. You will see lofty platitudes about respect for all
Utahns followed by assertions that maintaining Amendment 3 leads to such
virtuous goals protecting children, strong families, and religious liberty.

Bill Duncan's quote is
classic. He talks about reconciling fairness and "protecting family" as
if there's some huge thing there to reconcile! Then he goes on to say--not
quite this bluntly, of course--that people might not be OK with laws which crimp
their right to continue to discriminate, because their church tells them that
"those people"; are icky / sinners / whatever.

His ideal
bill would not create any "troubling" categories like sexual orientation
and it would have a "strong religious exemption". In other words, a
bill which says nothing at all, protects no one who isn't already
protected, and has a loophole big enough to drive a truck through, would get his
support.

3. Uncle_Fester

Niskayuna, NY,

Aug. 20, 2014

If Utahns fall for this nonsense they will deserve the consequences which will
be, among other things, bogus complaints and lawsuits, government running stings
at taxpayer expense and the ultimate discovery that the only ones discriminated
against are the religious and the responsible -who will also happen to be the
property owners. This will be followed in short order by "social
justice" initiatives, increased section 8 housing, crime and Broken Windows
syndrome.

4. ordinaryfolks

seattle, WA,

Aug. 20, 2014

It does not matter what the polls indicate people want or believe. It only
matters in Utah what the Republican Tea Party wants to present as its policy
ideas. And this policy is to continue discrimination against gay and lesbian
citizens.

Politicians at all levels of government don't really
care what people want, they only care about the $ to get re-elected. And to get
back into office you must tow the party line, or else.

Welcome to the
new America, Utah.

5. Baccus0902

Leesburg, VA,

Aug. 20, 2014

"The passage of a non-discrimination bill is contingent on the ability of
lawmakers and voters to separate same-sex marriage from "simple workplace
and housing discrimination," Sen. Steve Urquhart said Tuesday on "The
Doug Wright Show." "If I can succeed in doing that, we will pass
this."

Sen. Urquhart, I would suggest to add for us (LGBT) to
ride the back of the bus. Nobody could claim discrimination, after all, we are
being allowed in the bus. Right?

"you can put lipstick on a pig
it's still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called
change it's still gonna stink, we've had enough of the same old
thing" ( Web: MemeTracker)